Angels' Ron Washington Praised José Soriano For 'Bending Not Breaking'

Matt Levine | Jul 14, 2024

The Los Angeles Angels have now taken two straight games against the Seattle Mariners following an ugly 11-0 loss on Friday. Entering Saturday's game, Los Angeles was counting on starter José Soriano to help get the win.

Soriano did his part and limited the Mariners all game. He finished the night going six innings, allowing just five hits, four walks, one earned run, and striking out five.

After the game, Angels manager Ron Washington was praiseful of his starter. He appreciated that he "bent but didn't break" throughout the performance.

“He was good,” manager Ron Washington said. “He kept getting traffic on the bags. He bent but he didn’t break.”

On the year, Soriano has posted an ERA of 3.71 over 17 games played. This was a solid outing for the right-hander against Seattle and it gave more confidence to Washington moving forward.

“That just goes to show you that he had something extra when he had to get it,” Washington said Soriano’s two escapes. “We certainly were sitting there with fingers crossed, toes crossed, legs crossed, hoping that he’d get out of it. He did. That’s an experience for him. The more that happens and more you’re able to get out of it, the more you feel like I’m capable of any situation.”

If Soriano can perform in this manner going forward, it would greatly benefit the team. While the Angels haven't been very good this season, they have seen a few bright spots along the way.